


Stronger Than She Knows

by Graendoll



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode IX Teaser, F/M, No Smut, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Trailer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 08:32:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18495247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graendoll/pseuds/Graendoll
Summary: Jumping back into Reylo with this little ficlet based off my HC for the teaser trailer. Enjoy!PS to my favorite beta for the moodboard xoxoxo





	Stronger Than She Knows

**Author's Note:**

>   
> 

_Rey._

She stopped at her name, the rumbling cadence of his voice echoing through her head, as she held her hand up to signal to the two men following her to stop as well.

_Ben?_

_Help._

Closing her eyes, she opened herself further to the force. The connection between herself and the man formerly know as Kylo Ren had strengthened over the course of the previous year. Their connection evolving and growing, allowing them to explore and, finally, play with the tether that bound them across the stars through The Force. As she manipulated the energy that pulsed between them, she felt Ben jerk as he pulled up on his Tie Silencer, firing the modified ion canons attached to his sleek ship.

_What’s happening? Hux?_

_No._

Rey rolled her eyes at his curt response.

_Can’t you use complete sentences?_

_Can’t._

There was another jerk as he shot off more rounds and Rey felt her stomach turn as he executed a familiar roll, the horizon in his view spinning while hers remained still.

_Outnumbered._

Rey felt a brief flash of panic which she quickly suppressed, maintaining her focus while she concentrated on opening the bond to its widest point. As she and Ben had played in their own world over the course of their separation, they’d learned to move into each other’s space. Whereas before they could only see one another, now, if they concentrated and joined their force signatures, they could share the same location, remaining both where they were, and where they were not.

_I need –_

There was a pause followed by a flicker of controlled rage.

_Training._

Rey stilled. _He_ didn’t need training. No, she knew what he meant.

She was suddenly convinced of the severity of his situation.

Straightening, she turned back to Finn and Poe, who were both looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

“Stay here.” She tossed her staff to Finn who plucked it out of the air gracefully, a question on his face. Turning to the valley below them, she pointed at the open sand. “I need to go down there. Force thing. Wait for me here, yeah?”

“Rey – “ Poe began, but she waved him off and began running down the rocky outcropping, hitting the sand gracefully as she jumped off the last ledge. Running to position she kept a part of her consciousness on Ben, trying to ascertain whether or not his situation was deteriorating.

_This may not work. Odds aren’t great. We’ve had limited success._

A ripple of amusement heavily tinged with sadness and remorse followed her as she jogged across the unforgiving sand.

_Never...tell me the odds._

She knew these weren’t Ben’s words but someone else’s, and she reached out to him, offering support to him gently, knowing memories of his father would no doubt haunt him for the rest of his life.

_Focus._

He still wasn’t comfortable with her attempts to sooth, so she pulled back and concentrated on maintaining the force connection as she ran across the hot sand. Finally stopping, taking up position in the center of the canyon to allow for the highest probability of success, Rey took a moment to catch her breath. As she did so she turned her focus entirely on Ben’s location, his vision and images overlaying the stillness of the desert canyon until she heard the sound of his TIE, watching in the space between them as he approached a large First Order warship, the sounds of battle overwhelming the gentle hiss of sand blowing across rock.

Igniting her saber, she turned, moving into the ready position they’d practiced, and waited, glancing briefly over her shoulder to make sure she was aligned with his flight path.

_Now._

Digging her toes into the sand, she took off running, attuned to Ben as he gained on her.

_Jump._

_Wait._ It was too soon.

The sound of his TIE was nearly deafening.

_Rey –_

_Wait._

She sensed his concession as he gained on her, knew he was worried she’d wait too long but she pushed it aside and breathed into the force, reaching out with her feelings for the perfect moment. With a leap, she propelled herself backwards, her eyes seeking his as she twisted and flipped, her vertical movement aided by her force push and the air current created by the press of his ship moving through the desert atmosphere.

With a solid thunk she landed on the hatch, a soft smile the only outward sign of her excitement at her success. Another memory pushed into Rey’s consciousness, the echo of words coming across.

_Stronger than she knows…_

A bubble of affection was quickly pushed aside as she took in the scene before her. One large galactic Destroyer complete with a full contingent of TIE’s was advancing on Ben’s smaller group of single man pilots. No x-wings, but several other small craft piloted by his allies and Knights zipped and swooped between the First Order forces. They had no larger craft to back them up, having been on a reconnaissance mission to investigate the unnerving force signature Rey and Ben had felt growing over the last few months. They were near the planet of Endor, a location rife with debris from the destruction of the Empire’s planet killer and the apparent source of the mysterious dark ribbon cutting through the Force.

The odds were bad, Ben was critically outnumbered, and she needed to focus.

_Plan?_

_Slice them open._

She gave a tight nod, her stability atop the cockpit of his ship ensured due to the nature of their force bond, balance remaining steady regardless of his maneuvering, much as she was not gasping for air in the cold vacuum of space regardless of her lack of gear.

As he flew closer to the large destroyer, she concentrated on where to target her saber to do the most damage. Compression lines, ventilation systems, at one point she even managed to slice the canons off a short-range defensive weapon, the ion blast narrowly missing the wing of Ben’s ship as he pulled up and spun.

_Close._

She could feel his growl of concern.

_A miss is a miss, don’t fly me into the venting._

_Scavenger._

_Solo._

Another moment of stubborn posturing before their mutual irritation dissipated and their focus returned to the task at hand.

As they executed another pass, Rey’s surgical strikes began to take their toll on the Destroyer, and she gained confidence in the likelihood of success. They remained quiet, each concentrating, but she felt Ben’s emotions occasionally flare with anger, concern, and at one point acute sadness as the enemy got a lucky shot, plucking one of his pilots out of the sky. Each ripple lasted mere moments, and Rey allowed his feelings to flow over her as she concentrated on her precise attacks. After the third pass across the underbelly of the massive ship, the Destroyer began to list to the side, the stabilizers finally breaking down. Rey watched as the TIE’s began to return to the safety of the larger ship, called back by a general who knew better than to sacrifice an entire vessel while chasing down a handful of enemy combatants, even if one of them was the man formerly known as Kylo Ren.

Ben’s companions blipped away one by one as they entered hyperspace and Rey relaxed her hold on the force connection, the shimmering image of the desert creeping in against the edges of her view of space.

For a few moments their breathing was synchronized, and Rey closed her eyes, letting the feeling of their bond flow over her.

_Jakku?_

_Tattoine._

There was a pause and Rey made an effort not to telegraph any strong emotions while she waited for him to make a decision.

_Eighteen hours._

She exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and allowed herself to feel joy at his decision to join her.

_I’ll wait. I’m good at waiting._


End file.
